Barbara and Jessica Hauck-Grigsby got married in New York, after dating for more than two years. One day they got their income tax refunds and decided to do it, so they drove to New York City from near Chattanooga, Tenn., in a day, stopping only three times.

They spent three days in the Big Apple, getting their marriage certificate on the last day.

"We did it because it was fun and we loved each other and we wanted to," Barbara Hauck-Grigsby said.

Their honeymoon, they said, was basically the trip back. They stopped at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, N.J. -- the bakery featured on the show "Cake Boss" -- and picked up a small red velvet cake.

When they got back to Georgia, where they lived, it wasn't easy. Barbara said she lost her financial aid for college because her marriage wasn't recognized. They've had trouble getting driver's licenses, they said.

Friday's ruling, if it stands, changes that.

"Now I can go get my name changed, a new driver's license," Jessica Hauck-Grigsby said.

View full sizeBrittney Barnett takes a picture of a rainbow flag at Al's on Seventh in Birmingham, Ala., was put out in celebration of a Mobile federal judge ruling striking down Alabama's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, Friday, January 23, 2015. (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com) TAMIKA MOORE

The Hauck-Grigsbys weren't the only ones celebrating at Al's on Seventh in Lakeview. General manager Mark Cummings set a pride flag outside of the bar. He said he only put it outside for special occasions. He expected a big crowd.

"When (the Defense of Marriage Act) was struck down in June of last year, this place was busier than I've ever seen it," he said.

For Eric White and Brett Hand, the ruling could change some plans for later in the year. The two are planning on getting married in August. They were going to go to Tampa, Florida, to make it official.

"We were originally thinking about having something here and then going to make it legal in Florida," White said. "Now we don't have to do that."

White said one thing this opens up is that they could stay in Alabama and adopt children, which is something they want to do.

"We want to make sure we're in a state where we both can have legal custody of a child," he said.

Kyle Pugh, the president of Central Alabama Pride, said the ruling came as a shock.

"It's a day that we never thought would happen," he said.

Pugh and his partner have been together five years, and this opens up opportunities for them, he said.

"Every time we've talked about it, it's meant going to Florida or somewhere else to make the day a reality," he said.

The decision also means same-sex couples can keep their money in the state of Alabama, he said.

"I have several friends who have gone to other states to get married," he said. "These couples didn't think it could happen in Alabama. They paid that marriage license fee in another state."